1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waterproof type electronic device having a sealing member closely attached to a buckle and an electronic device body to achieve a waterproof function or a water-resistant function by which the electronic device body can be hermetically closed at least at its part covered with the buckle when the buckle is closed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cited Patent Reference 1, for example, has described this kind of a waterproof type electronic device so far. The Cited Patent Reference 1 has described a disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus which the assignee of the present application has previously proposed as the patent application. This disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus includes a disc loading portion to which a disc-like recording medium is loaded detachably and this disc loading potion can be opened and closed freely by an openable and closable lid.
The disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus on this Cited Patent Reference 1 is characterized by a player main body having an openable and closable lid to freely open and close a disc loading potion to which a disc-like recording medium is detachably loaded and a buckle which can hold the opening and closing lid, the opening and closing lid being locked by the buckle.
According to the disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus having the above-mentioned arrangement, there can be achieved the effect in which since the buckle is not opened by a certain strong force, when the openable and closable lid is held firmly, the openable and closable lid may not be inadvertently opened with slight touch. Thus, the openable and closable lid is held with strong fastening force and hence it can be made difficult to open with ease.
Cited Patent Reference 2 shows another example of this kind of waterproof type electronic device according to the related art. Cited Patent Reference 2 has described a camera which the assignee of the present application has previously proposed as the patent application.
A camera described in this Cited Patent Reference 2 includes an oblong case having a width and a thickness and a length larger than these width and thickness, a camera lens provided at the front surface of the case located at one of thickness direction, an image pickup element provided within the case to detect an object image shot through the camera lens to thereby output an image pickup signal and a display panel facing the upper portion of the back surface of the case located on the other of the thickness direction to display a picture of the object image based on the image pickup signal outputted from the image pickup element. In this camera, the display panel is constructed such that the vertical direction of the picture screen is inclined relative to the length direction of the case with a predetermined angle.
According to the camera having the above-mentioned arrangement, it is possible to provide the camera in which loads on cameraman's hand and shoulder can be decreased when cameraman holds this camera with one hand and in which camera-shock can be prevented from occurring when the cameraman presses the shutter release button.
However, both in the above-mentioned Cited Patent References 1 and 2, the respective operation buttons are not constructed so as to have waterproof structures and water and moisture can easily enter the respective operation buttons. Although it is considered to take a countermeasure to meet with the present situation so that the respective operation buttons should be constructed so as to have waterproof structures, if the operations buttons are formed as waterproof type operation buttons, it is unavoidable that the camera will become large in size in response to the number of operation buttons from a structure and space standpoints. As a result, the whole of the apparatus becomes large in size and there is a problem in which an object of miniaturizing the apparatus may not be attained.
Also, although it is customary that a lock structure of a lid which opens and closes a disc compartment portion needs overstroke, in the structure in which a packing is provided at the peripheral edge of the lid which opens and closes the disc compartment portion and in which the lid is urged against the camera body through the packing by a buckle type fastening device, it was difficult to apply uniform pressure to the packing. Therefore, it is not easy to increase properties in which the lid is closely contacted with the camera body and there is a problem in which the waterproof structure is unstable.
Further, in this kind of waterproof type electronic device, it has been customary to dry the inside of the camera body by only natural drying. Thus, when moisture is produced within the closed camera body having the waterproof structure, it takes a plenty of time to remove the moisture. Also, there exists a camera apparatus having a function to stop shooting operation, playback operation and the like after a constant time period since moisture has been produced within the camera body. Accordingly, in the case of such electronic device, there is a problem in which the electronic device is unable to resume shooting operation and the like after a constant time was passed.
Cited Patent Reference 1:
Official Gazette of Japanese laid-open patent application No. 2003-85957
Cited Patent Reference 2:
Official Gazette of Japanese laid-open patent application No. 2004-179850
The problems encountered with the related art will be described below. In this kind of waterproof type electronic device, since the respective operation buttons are not formed with the waterproof structures so that water and moisture will enter the operation buttons relatively easily, if the respective operation buttons are constructed with the waterproof structures, then such waterproof type electronic device becomes large in size from structure and space standpoints and it is not possible to miniaturize the whole of the apparatus. Further, since the lock structure of the disc lid requires the overstroke, it is difficult to increase close-contact property of the disc lid. Furthermore, since water and moisture within the camera body are removed by natural drying, it takes a lot of time to remove moisture produced within space closed by the waterproof structure.